Watering While Away
by Jolene Ottosen for the Chaparral Green Thumbs
Gardening is a labour of love and dedication, but even the most devoted of gardeners needs a break at times. After our long cold winters, for many of us, summer is a time to get away and explore, but what about our gardens? For some, elaborate irrigation systems with a timer are the solution, but for others this option might be too expensive or just not feasible considering the space. Another option could be to arrange for a trusted friend or family member to tend the garden in your absence. For some this is the perfect solution, while for others, and I speak from experience, it is the best way to strain a relationship. If neither of these options will work for you, here are some suggestions to help your plants survive your absence.
Prep
There are things you can do early in the growing season to help your plants prepare for whatever comes their way. First, if you know you will often be away, choose more drought tolerant plants, especially those native to the area. As your plants are growing, get in the habit of watering for longer periods less often. If your plants get a good soak once or twice a week instead of a shorter watering every day, the roots will be encouraged to reach deeper into the soil, which means they can tap into more moisture reserves. If you are planting in containers, consider purchasing or making self-watering containers, there are lots of ideas for that online. Adding a few inches of mulch over your soil can help it retain 25% more moisture than bare soil, and even containers will benefit from it, so make sure to mulch well. Finally, water consistently before your trip, as unstressed plants will cope with a temporary dry spell much better than stressed, and any of the methods I am suggesting below will work better in soil that has had a good soak.
Containers
Container gardening is convenient for a variety of reasons, but not from a watering perspective. Unless you have planted in a self-watering container, potted plants dry out much faster than those in the ground, which can make it tricky if you are going away. However, there are some things you can do to help.
If your containers can be moved, group them together if they are not already. This will help to make the space around them more humid. Also, try your best to move them to a more shaded space. If moving your plants isn’t an option, or if there isn’t a shady space, try to create some with row cover fabric or shade cloth attached to something nearby.
Drip irrigation is the gold standard for low, slow watering, but if you don’t have a system, you can make your own by poking pin holes in the bottom of a water bottle and setting it in the dirt beside the plant. A 16 to 32 oz water bottle with two or three small holes can water a plant for up to a week. Another option is to put your grouped containers in a kiddie pool filled with 1” to 2” of water. If the pool is in the shade, this should also get the plants through the week. Another tool some people swear by is mixing water retaining polymers with your soil, I am talking about the material they put inside disposable diapers to absorb liquid – actually some people tear open diapers instead of buying the more expensive version from a greenhouse, as this addition will allow the soil to hold up to 200% times more water. This is not something I like, adding synthetic substances to soil, but I have not found anything to indicate it is toxic. However, I would not recommend trying this with vegetables, just in case.
Garden Beds
It is a little bit easier to take a brief hiatus from watering a garden bed as they do not dry out as quickly as potted plants, especially if they are well mulched, but they can only go dry for so long. The DIY drip irrigation I mentioned for potted plants can also work in a garden bed, you would just need larger bottles of water and more of them. Another option, if you have a rain barrel, is you could attach a soaker hose that runs through your garden and open the faucet just a little. Creating temporary shade, if possible, would also help.
Houseplants
Houseplants generally fare a little better as they don’t get as much direct sun, but our houses can be hot in the summer. Grouping the plants together is helpful to create a bit more of a humid environment. You could even group them in the bathtub in a little water. Partly closing the blinds will help to keep it cooler, while still allowing some light in. You could use the DIY water bottle drip irrigation or find some of the prettier products like the colourful glass balls that can be filled with water and inserted in the pot. If space in the pot is a factor, you could fashion an irrigation system with a water bottle and a length of cotton string or a shoelace. Fill the bottle with water and place it beside the plant on something which raises the bottom of the bottle higher than the surface of the soil. Next, place one end of the cotton string in the bottle, touching all the way to the bottom, and put the other end in the soil near the plant. As long as the water in the bottle is above the other end of the string, it will wick moisture to the plant. It may drip along the way, though, so make sure to set this up over a protected surface.
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